Postal Act May Kill Courier
The Indian Government created a new draft law that would essentially ban courier companies from carrying letter mail lighter than 300 grams —Industry sources castigated this move saying that it is “against the spirit of liberalization and globalization.”<More>

Democracy,
Politics and Judiciary

SC
Admonishes Islamic Courts
The Supreme Court (SC) took serious exception to an “Islamic court” that issued a fatwa seeking the divorce of a couple in Orissa because the intoxicated husband uttered “talak” word thrice in his sleep.<More>

Countries Urge Norway to Stop Whale Hunting
With Norway’s plan to hunt the highest number of whales in two decades this year, a dozen countries joined together and called on it stop this reprehensible practice of hunting whales for profit.<More>

Terrorism,
Defense, Security and Science &
Technology

Closer
to Agreement
Over the last several months,
India and Pakistan have been
silent working on a deal to
demilitarize Siachen, the world’s
highest battlefield. <More>

Good
Voting in Naxal Areas in WBPeople
defied threats from naxal
terrorists and stood in long
lines for over two hours,
endured clinical security
screening, and followed intense
Election Commission restrictions
to vote in large numbers in
naxal-infested areas of West
Bengal (WB).<More>

Neighbors

King
Calls for PM Candidate
Sustained public demonstrations, non-nonsense statements from India, and blunt speaking from the US caused Nepal King Gnanendra to relent and call for a Prime Ministerial candidate from the 7-party alliance of political parties.<More>The Nepal Stalemate

World

US-Sino Relations & India
The Chinese President Hu Jintao’s meeting with who-is-who of the US business world even before his planned meeting with President George Bush demonstrates the focus of China in its relationship with the US.<More>

Malaysia Destroys 100 Year Old Hindu Temple
Even as Hindus, treated as 3rd class citizens in their own nation, were worshipping Malaysia destroyed a 100-year-old temple with a single day’s notice and without a clear indication of why it is taking this extreme step.<More>

The
Bill on National Rural Employment
Guarantee Scheme seeks to provide
guaranteed employment to one
member of every rural household
for at least 100 days a year for a
minimum wage of Rs.60 per day.
Out of 260 million poor people in
the country, about 200 million
poor people are in rural areas.
People in 45% rural India do not
get work for six months in a year.